DLR Travel Guide: Welcome to Epcot City!
by MagicEmperor
Summary: Epcot City is the biggest and most exciting city in Calisota, USA! Sure, the crime rate might be awful, but how about those glitzy stores and beach-city fun! This travel guide will hopefully give you a small taste of the excitement that awaits you... in Epcot City. (In all seriousness, this is actually related to the upcoming story, Dream League Radiant. Coming soon!)
1. Welcome to Epcot City!

You're alone at your computer. It's 11:10 PM. You're surfing the web aimlessly, then you decide to check out what's happening on YouTube. After watching a few quick videos that may or may not involve food (or cute pets), you remember something you've been meaning to look up: a metropolis from a different state.

You search "Epcot City travel guide" verbatim, you submit, and after a quick load… you click on the top result. A warm, masculine voice greets you with a tone equal parts pleasant and, somehow, a bit disconcerting.

 ** _Welcome, my friend, to a city of progress, natural wonder, and sweet commercialism! Epcot City, Calisota, stands proudly on the West Coast of the United States. Situated above California but below Oregon, Calisota is a state that more than makes up for its smaller size with thriving cities. Epcot City might not be the state's capital, but it's easily Calisota's biggest, regarding both population and area. About a million and a half people live here—humans AND creatures. But there's always room for one more! If you have the spirit, and if you're the kind of person who likes to take risks, well, take a chance and live life to the fullest here!_**

 ** _Established in the 19_** ** _th_** ** _century, Epcot City has grown from a small port town to a bustling metropolis. Plans to evolve its humble beginnings into an experimental community didn't work out, but it grew just fine, as you can see. And, don't worry, we haven't forgotten our roots! Epcot City's beaches warmly embrace the Pacific Ocean. Our seaside businesses and activities still rank second to none. And because of the unique design of this exciting place, there are canals of saltwater intersected throughout Epcot City. People can walk over small boats passing by below. You're never far from the salty sea breeze. But we're also looking ahead. Epcot City is always an early adopter of bleeding-edge technology. For example, our monorail system has dutifully served the public for decades and counting!_**

 ** _Is your child a prodigy? Einstein reincarnate? Then send them to our pride and joy, St. Blair Academy! This private boarding school frequently ranks among the top schools in America, if not_** **the** ** _top. And if you'd rather attend public school, Norman Union High School is a great place to learn! Better not procrastinate on that homework! Ahahaha…_**

 ** _Ahem._**

 ** _For the adults, Epcot City has everything a million and a half people could want! Why not go shopping at numerous shopping districts, where you can buy all the electronics, jewelry and beauty products your heart desires? We have THE biggest mall on the West Coast! Also, why not hit the nightclubs and bars for romance and public embarrassment? I hope you can hold your liquor, sir!_**

 ** _Ohohoho, he... oh. He really IS drunk. I hope somebody cleans that up._**

 ** _Ahem. Downtown never sleeps. Do you want skyscrapers? You got skyscrapers! Kahn Tower, owned and operated by Shere Khan himself, is viewable from almost any given angle in Epcot City. One of the largest computer manufacturing and programming companies in the western hemisphere, ENCOM, is headquartered here. Scrooge McDuck, the richest duck in the world, is often sighted here. And why not? Duckburg is only a drive away! Because Epcot City stands so near to both Duckburg and St. Canard, you can drive to and from any of the triangle of cities whenever you want!_**

 ** _Okay, sure, so Epcot City has the highest crime rate of all Calisota cities by far. But remember what I said about taking risks? You need to take a risk to really live life! So why not take a chance? And if you want to take a break from the City, the nearby Walter Elias National Forest, a seemingly endless landscape of trees and largely undisturbed natural life, is great for hiking trips and camping. Just don't get lost and watch out for wolves. There seem to be consistent reports of wolves…_**

 _ **Epcot City is a dream of endless possibilities, a dream leagues above any other West Coast city. This metropolis has everything. Plan your visit today! And if I scared you when I mentioned the NOT-GREAT crime rate, don't feel too scared. Because if you hang around long enough…**_

After the series of narrated video clips all about Epcot City, you notice something just as the narrator trails off. A video clip plays of a light-skinned human girl, but she's in an eye mask that makes her eyes appear white, a blue-and-white costume with a baby blue tabard-like overgarment, and a black ribbon to tie back her yellow hair.

She looks at the camera and seems visibly alarmed... as if she shouldn't be video-recorded.

 _ **…**_ _ **You just might see a superhero!**_

The girl, realizing she's too late to stop the recording, shrugs, smiles, and bows politely, before levitating off the sidewalk and going over a large, concrete wall. She disappears from view as she levitates away.

 **EPCOT CITY, CALISOTA, USA. Come visit this joint for excitement… SOON!**

* * *

- _Dream League Radiant._ Based on characters and concepts created by The Walt Disney Company. Original Dream League role-play forum and concept created by Joseph Label and Andi "HeffyDoodle" W.

Sorry for the very long wait! The wait is almost over.


	2. Independence Day

**RATED K+ (10+)**

 **Don't take this non-canon nonsense too seriously. This is really just me warming up to resume _Radiant._ Also, I've decided to reveal _Radiant's_ new hero who was never in the old _Ultimate Dream League_ , but he'll get a proper introduction in the main fic.**

* * *

 **"Independence Day"**

A boy cobbled together a digital video consisting of himself mugging to the camera, as well as interviews with random people throughout Epcot City. Then he eventually screened the footage in class.

"Is this recording?" asked the popular student from Third Street School, in the video. He accidentally started recording himself unprepared, but he figured, "Nah, I'll just cut it out, post." Which he said out loud to the camera. He even cleared his throat, but it seemed more to show off than to get his voice ready.

He was dressed like an ordinary boy, and his backwards red baseball cap fit him so well, one would probably think it was a natural part of his skull.

"Hey, there! T.J. Detweiler here. We _had_ to do homework on our nation's most important day, because Ms. Grotke decided to give us _homework_ over the _fourth of July_ weekend." He glared to the camera's right, expecting his teacher to be standing there, which would've made his teasing effective. As it would turn out in class, she stood to the opposite, so the visual joke didn't land. Whatever!

"She wanted us to ask randos about Independence Day and what it means to them, and how it feels to be American. You got it, teach! And I know where to start."

* * *

In the next cut, T.J. hounded some students at St. Blair Academy.

"Let's ask one of these snooty kids from this snooty school. Hey, guys! Anyone wanna be interviewed by a kid who _doesn't_ have a dress code?"

He alternated the camera from focusing on his face to the uniformed students passing by. Then he focused the shot on a very pretty, blue-eyed girl as soon as she glanced at him. Her uniform was mostly purple and pink with striped socks. Her waistcoat was particularly adorable.

"Hey, you! Yellow-hair!"

"Yes?" she asked. Her accent was all-too different from his.

"Independence Day is comin' up," said T.J., who kept the focus on her face. "What do you think about it, as an American?"

She smiled in amusement. "I beg your pardon. I don't come from America."

"Whoa. Your voice… Are you British?"

"Yes. I'm from Oxford. My name is Alice."

"Ohh. I'm supposed to talk to Americans about this. You Brits don't even have a Fourth of July."

"On the contrary," teased the girl. "England certainly has a fourth of July."

"Really?"

"Yes! But it's just the fourth day of July. There's no American holiday to go along with it."

"Haha. Very funny."

"If it's any consolation, I enjoy being in America very much. It's different in many ways, but I have made my best friends here, and I have and will continue to learn so much."

"Too bad you're in a hoity-toity, elitist school! _We_ could've been friends!"

She glared at him.

"It's just a joke! Sheesh."

* * *

Next up, the office of Scrooge McDuck.

T.J. left the camera on by accident, so his argument with Mr. McDuck was captured.

"What d'you _mean_ I actually have to pay ten bucks just to interview?! I thought you were joking!"

The old, bespectacled duck, seated mightily behind his desk, shook his head. "Ye cannae be serious, lad! Yer taking up my valuable time, so I must be compensated."

T.J. threw a crumpled 10-dollar bill to the old miser, but it plopped and rolled a bit on the desk.

"Respect your currency, lad."

"Okay, I know _you're_ not American."

"No. Scottish, of course."

"But you said I could interview _anyone_ in your office."

Scrooge nodded. "Aye. Pick any of my subordinates."

"Then…" T.J. smirked. "Then how about your secretary? Heh-heh."

The old duck's eyes widened. He adjusted his glasses worriedly. "Ah… I… don't think ye want to choose her. How about—"

"You said I could pick anyone, right? Stop backpedaling and let me interview her! I gave you the ten bucks!"

"Fantastic." He sighed and reached for the call button but stopped and leered to the stubborn kid. "Are you sure? This is your last chance. She's not—"

"What're you waitin' for, Christmas?" T.J. slammed his balled fist on the desk way harder than expected. "I wanna talk to her! Ow." He shook his aching wrist.

"Suit yourself." Scrooge McDuck, the richest duck in the world, pressed the button and called for his secretary. "Ms. Rose? This demanding child wants to interview ye."

The lovely, soft voice said through the speaker, "An interview… for me? I'll be right there."

T.J. hastily made himself look as cool as he could. He even sat up straight on the chair when he heard the office door open. This was followed by the clicking of high heels. T.J., realizing he left the camera on this whole time, went along with it and subtly recorded the secretary's legs as they approached the desk. "Tenderrrrr," he very quietly said to himself as he observed the incoming beauty.

He got a good shot of her pencil skirt, then her fluffily white blouse, and then those nerdy black glasses covering those purple eyes. Her golden hair was tied into a high-rise ponytail.

"Is this the child?" Ms. Rose asked. Her voice was a perfect match for her looks: attractive yet soft and gentle.

"He's the one," confirmed Scrooge. "Mr. Detweiler, this is my secretary, Ms. Briar Rose. And—"

T.J., leaving the camera on the desk to record them, sprang up and offered his hand to shake hers. "I'm T.J. Detweiler! Thanks for saying 'yes'!" He lowered his lids halfway and raised an eyebrow. "You got some good taste, agreein' to be my interviewee."

Her full, red lips smiled charmingly as she accepted his hand. "Of course! What do you want to, mm… 'interview' me about?"

The boy sat back down and kept up his confident, macho behavior. "A school project to do over the Fourth of July weekend. I gotta interview random Americans about Independence Day and what it means to them, so I took my chances and checked out Old McDuck's farm."

Scrooge glowered. "I'm sitting right across from the desk, boy."

"Ohhh." The young woman's purple eyes practically sparkled in delight. "That's a wonderful idea!"

"I know, right?" The boy gloated. "I figured there'd be someone to chat up here, and then I found _you_."

She shook her head. Her golden ponytail swayed with her movements. "Oh. No. I'm sorry, I meant, your school project is a great idea." She smiled politely. Then she realized something. "Oh, no. Do you want to interview me? But… I'm not from America."

T.J. smiled. "You're jokin'."

She shook her head again. "Nmm-mm. I'm not American."

"But you don't sound British, either! Are you from Europe?"

"No."

"Australia?"

The beautiful lady looked away nervously. "I'm from… far away. Somewhere else."

The boy scratched his baseball-capped head. "So… you're not American."

"No," she replied. She seemed legitimately sorry. "I didn't mean to disappoint you."

 _Your looks don't disappoint, at least_ , he thought.

She continued, "But as a foreigner, I love America! And any nation must remember its history. That's what I think of Independence Day."

"I tried to warn ye, Mr. Detweiler," Scrooge replied. "You wasted your opportunity by not listening. And that was your one chance! You got your interview."

The kid felt like flipping over the desk. "You _GOT…_ ta be kidding me! I want my ten bucks back!"

"No refunds."

T.J. Detweiler stomped away, too angry to even flirt with Ms. Rose some more. "Man, this _whomps_!" He finally turned off the camera.

* * *

"I'm now at the boardwalk, and—whoa!"

When T.J. dropped his camera, he feared the worst. Worst-case scenario, the camera would get busted and his dad would get furious. Best-case scenario, the dizzying spins of the camera as it plummeted would get the students to hurl. Either way, the outlook wasn't so good.

But the camera was caught by a pretty redheaded teen, about six or seven years older than T.J. And her head was _red_.

Gripping the camera and aiming for her face, the girl with red hair and even redder lips crinkled her turquoise eyes. "Hi, everybody! I saved you from falling to your doom! Hehe." She looked up to the boy peering over the boardwalk's handrail. "Hey, kiiiiiid! I got your camera!"

T.J. raced down to her. He took the still-recording camera and aimed it at her. "Thanks, red! I almost freaked out, there."

The teenage girl, who wore jeans and a tee that didn't cover all of her midriff, winked and blew a kiss to the camera. "Be sure to get my good side, kid. Mwah."

"Who're you?"

"Ariel."

"Okay, Ariel. Maybe you could help me! I'm recording random people and getting their opinions about Independence Day. July 4th. I've been running around all day, so just give it to me straight. Are you American?"

She nodded… then scrunched her black eyebrows. "Yeah! I mean! Well."

"Well, what?"

"I'm an American, but I also have Italian citizenship. I was born in Italy."

"… No way. You were born in Italy."

" _Sì, certo_!" She dropped her playfulness when she recognized his frustration. "I have to be born in America? That's what your teacher said?"

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Hey, relax! You'll find somebody. But if you wanna know, I _know_ I'm an American, and I love Independence Day. I love the fireworks, I love being with Daddy and my cousins, and… would do anything to help this country."

The boy shrugged. "Thanks."

End of cut.

* * *

"Now I'm at the Aeronautics and Space Center, a little outta the way from downtown. Whew, my bike's getting worked today. I'll talk to this guy."

An eccentric-looking, black-haired, thirty-something man, with an eccentric walk and an eccentric Hawaiian shirt that poorly goes with his pants-an eccentric sense of fashion altogether-walked through the parking lot, briefcase in hand.

T.J. hurried after him. "Hey, mister! You got a minute?"

The tall, gangly man halted to look at the kid with the camera. "What's this? A man-cub! Heeeyyyy, you're not supposed to film the Space Center, pilgrim!"

"You're American, right? I need to get feelings about Independence Day straight from Americans. It's a school assignment."

"Canadian-American, yeah." He clumsily dropped the briefcase and offered his hand to the camera-recording man-cub for a shake. "I'm Fred Z. Randall! I was the first man to set foot on Mars. Maybe you've heard of me, ehh?"

"Back up. You're… Canadian?"

"Yep. That's where Ma decided to bring me to life. We moved here to America when I was young, and… the rest is history! Which you probably haven't read, because you still haven't shaken my hand, and you don't seem to know me. But that's cool!"

"UGH. Later." T.J. left the awkward man alone.

"C-careful, little fella! Watch out for snakes!" Fred took his briefcase and resumed his journey to the center of the parking lot. For his car. He was somehow allowed a driver's license.

* * *

From somewhere in Epcot City, an irritable, squeaky-voiced duck stared blankly at the camera. "Yeah. I'm Donald Duck. Uhhh. I'm American. Born and raised."

"FINALLY!" T.J. held the shot steady. "What does the Fourth of July mean to you, as an American?"

"I like it. I have American pride… but I like my friends, too."

"Your friends?"

"A lotta my friends weren't born in America. We're all different, not everybody celebrates Independence Day, but we can still respect each other and… be pals. Yeah. What more do ya want me to say?"

"Hmm. I think I got it. Thanks."

* * *

In the classroom, T.J. Detweiler gave a rousing (in his mind) conclusion after his video footage ended. "… In conclusion, I think this might be what that 'melting pot' thing from the book was talking about." He hoped he was true; he wasn't the best at reading comprehension… if the subject didn't interest him. "Donald has pride in being an American, but he still thinks highly about his friends who weren't born in America. And all those other people I talked to, they may not have been born in this country, but they like some ideas about Independence Day. America isn't a great country just for Americans. It's a great country for anyone. Variety is good. We should be making more friends from different places and accept them, because even with traditions and holidays, it's really nice to shake things up and learn about new stuff."

He nodded smugly with his hands in his pockets. "That's my presentation."

The children in the classroom cheered.

"What an engaging if meandering video presentation, T.J.," said Ms. Grotke. "Aside from the horrifying extortion from Scrooge McDuck and your voyeurism of Ms. Rose's legs, I think we all learned something valuable today. … Or did we? It was a little muddled. By the way, T.J., your random encounters at seemingly arbitrary locations have convinced me to reconsider the project's rules."

* * *

On the night of the actual Independence Day, Sunshine, Dreamchild, The Masked Mallard, Duck Avenger, Bongo the Super Bear, and La Sirenetta (in mermaid form) all sat or lied on the beach of the Dream League's private island, their headquarters, The Overlook. They sat beside their part-time member.

They all watched the Annual Epcot City Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza from the comfort of their vigilante-friendly beach. Good thing no crime was reported at that moment because the Dreamers loved the fireworks so much, even the stingy Masked Mallard.

"If you're going to waste money," he said with a forced accent that concealed his Scottish burr, "then I suppose fireworks is the most beautiful way to do it."

"This is my favorite thing about Independence Day," said Duck Avenger, who also hid his squeaky voice with a more heroic tone. "Watching the fireworks and being with friends."

"I can't _believe_ we were all interviewed by that same kid," chuckled the blue-and-green mermaid. Gone was any semblance of redness from her hair.

"I admire his boldness," said Dreamchild, "if not his manners."

"Not _all_ of us got Q&A'd!" said Fred, in his RocketMan costume sans the helmet. He wrapped an arm around Bongo and pulled him in for a hug. "Bongo wasn't questioned. But he wouldn't have had much to say, eh?"

Bongo nodded, no offense taken. He exhaled in wonder as he watched the fireworks.

"I think that boy had a crush on me," Sunshine said with merriment.

"A _lot_ of boys have a crush on you," said Sirenetta. "Just look it up or something. Like Google."

"But not deviantART," cautioned Fred. "If you look up your name on deviantART and skim through the results, you'll be walkin' through a minefield!"

"I'll… remember that," said a confused Sunshine. She pointed to a particularly big firework explosion. "My homeland has incredible fireworks, but _this_ is also magnificent!"

Sirenetta's eyes glistened. "Mommy and I loved watching fireworks together."

"As did Grandmum and I," said Dreamchild. The sympathetic girl took the mermaid's hand and held it.

Not much else was said amongst the Dream League until the fireworks show was over. That's when Duck Avenger asked the question that they would never know the answer to.

"I wonder if that kid got a good grade."

* * *

 **THE END**

 **Whether you know it as Independence Day or "The fourth day of July," have a great and safe day with your friends and loved ones!**

 **-Joseph**

 **- _Dream League Radiant_. Based on characters created by The Walt Disney Company. "Dream League" concept created by Joseph Label and Andi "HeffyDoodle" Wamboldt. Characters featured in this and other Dream League works include concepts and characterizations created by the original Dream League RPG forum players, namely One Lucky Unicorn (Masked Mallard), Hannah (La Sirenetta), Andi (Bongo), and myself (Dreamchild, Sunshine, Duck Avenger, and RocketMan.**


End file.
